Livery Yard Contract Advice

[Jenko109]

I suspect the other side to this story, will say you left without cleaning the stable and did not give a date to return to clean it. Subsequently landing you a cleaning bill which you are now arguing that you were going to be going back to do.

 

[Rowreach]

I suspect the other side to this story, will say you left without cleaning the stable and did not give a date to return to clean it. Subsequently landing you a cleaning bill which you are now arguing that you were going to be going back to do.

Well unless the YO hears about this thread and comes along with their side, we only have the OP's version that an arrangement was made. In which event she doesn't owe anything for the stable to be cleaned out. Especially if she's been banned from returning to the yard during the two week notice period.

 

[MuddyMonster]

I've been on a full livery a few times & never had to clear the stable as that has always been handled by the YO or their staff - this is DIY though, so a completely different set up & expectation, I think.

I'd be miffed if I'd told YO I'd be back the next day & they then charged less than 24 hours later. I don't think the YO has acted reasonably & would be querying that with them.

FWIW, I almost always leave before my contracted leave date (I always tell YO though) & rarely clear a stable the day of a move on DIY. What if the horse doesn't load or something? I've had that happen to me before & needed to stay an 'extra' night (but well within my notice period still).

 

[jules9203]

I haven't read all the replies to your post however as a livery yard owner ...... If you left having giving your notice period (but before it ends) and said you would come back and clean the box I would wait for you to do that. Then I would return your deposit, providing you did. If I had someone lined up to fill the box asap I would clean it but not charge you. This is all assuming you have a contract. As a YO I tend to look at chasing £ owing if it is worth the hassle. TBH if you are only being charged a fee for cleaning the box you have 2 ways of looking at it. Do you pay the fee, walk away and see what the YO does. Or don't pay the fee and go away knowing you have a small debt and may find you are not welcome on other local yards.

 

[Lois Lame]

She has 6 other empty stables so for her to need to fill mine would seem unlikely. It's very upsetting that she has chosen to behave in this manner as I thought we had a good relationship with herself and husband. Unfortunately we were warned that she did this but we honestly didn't think she would.

Ah.

I had my horse (pony, really) agisted at a place that we loved (the pony and I). Huuuuuuuge paddocks, and I mean huge. Lots of trees and scrub here and there, all different types of terrain. Even lovely scenery. Anyhow, the owners sold, and were very careful as to whom they sold to.

When this new mob turned up we thought, oh, they are rather nice. But after a year, (and yes, it did take a while) they changed everything.

And then, come a difficult time to find other agistment (drought, a busy holiday period), BANG, they told us the fees were going up in one week, this is what they will be, (three quarters more $ than what they had been), etc etc. PLUS, she wanted to be able to have access to the amount in the same way we have electricty and water and stuff paid automatically - something I would never set up with an individual.

But anyway, she was very, very different to what I thought she'd be.

ETA: Please excuse my covid fog.

 

[Lois Lame]

I expect she has another horse in the stable and does not want you to come back and say you will not pay the remaining amount due as she has filled the stable.

Either that or she thinks you may tell other liveries how great the new place is and she may loose customers.

SPOT ON.

 

[The-Bookworm]

I am wondering if this has been resolved yet as the op is asking the same advice on another horse forum as well as here.

It reads to me that they are more concerned about who is right or wrong over a contract than actually paying what they owe.

It reads to me that you gave two weeks notice, but actually left the following day. You took everything.
As the YO I would feel you have gone without paying/actually giving notice. And most likely wouldn't return to clean the stable.
Often people don't bother to go out of their way and come back and do it, if they can't find time to do it while still on the yard.

The fact they don't want you back suggests that you haven't left on good terms, you may have been asked to go for all we know.
Pay what you are being asked to pay for, horse owners reputations can arrive before the horse.
You are already known on two forums for asking the same question. It's a small world.

 

[Nasicus]

It reads to me that you gave two weeks notice, but actually left the following day. You took everything.
As the YO I would feel you have gone without paying/actually giving notice. And most likely wouldn't return to clean the stable.
Often people don't bother to go out of their way and come back and do it, if they can't find time to do it while still on the yard.

As long as she's paid for those two weeks notice, she can take the horse whenever. I don't get why people think you can only take your horse at the end of the notice. The notice is so that the YO has time to arrange for the stable to be filled at the end of the notice period, minimizing time where nobody is paying for the stable.

The only downside to taking your horse sooner than the end of your notice period is that the owner will end up paying for both the notice period at the yard and the livery at the new yard, hence why a lot of people hang on until the end of the notice period, but to the owner of the yard that's been given notice it makes minimal difference whether the horse stays for the notice period or not, as long as said period is paid for. If anything, they'll save a bit on not having that horse there drinking water, eating hay (if included), needing mucking out if on part and so on. They might miss out on ad-hoc service charges, but if they're offered as ad-hoc and not part of the standard livery package then they can't demand that as they are exactly that, ad-hoc.

 

[Rowreach]

I am wondering if this has been resolved yet as the op is asking the same advice on another horse forum as well as here.

It reads to me that they are more concerned about who is right or wrong over a contract than actually paying what they owe.

It reads to me that you gave two weeks notice, but actually left the following day. You took everything.
As the YO I would feel you have gone without paying/actually giving notice. And most likely wouldn't return to clean the stable.
Often people don't bother to go out of their way and come back and do it, if they can't find time to do it while still on the yard.

The fact they don't want you back suggests that you haven't left on good terms, you may have been asked to go for all we know.
Pay what you are being asked to pay for, horse owners reputations can arrive before the horse.
You are already known on two forums for asking the same question. It's a small world.

Well, we're reading what the OP has told us on here, which is that she gave notice and left on the understanding that she could return during the two week period if the horse didn't settle, would come back the next day to clean out the stable, and that the YO was happy with those arrangements. As above, you don't have to physically stay till the end of any notice period.

Again, as a YO with decades of experience, I can confirm that there is a network whereby yard hoppers, non-payers and troublemakers are widely known in an area (although you can still get caught out). Equally there is a network where batsh!t YOs are widely known amongst liveries. It seems this particular YO has a rep from one of the comments above.

If the YO has told her she can't come back, then the OP doesn't owe her anything.

 

[Abacus]

I am wondering if this has been resolved yet as the op is asking the same advice on another horse forum as well as here.

It reads to me that they are more concerned about who is right or wrong over a contract than actually paying what they owe.

It reads to me that you gave two weeks notice, but actually left the following day. You took everything.
As the YO I would feel you have gone without paying/actually giving notice. And most likely wouldn't return to clean the stable.
Often people don't bother to go out of their way and come back and do it, if they can't find time to do it while still on the yard.

The fact they don't want you back suggests that you haven't left on good terms, you may have been asked to go for all we know.
Pay what you are being asked to pay for, horse owners reputations can arrive before the horse.
You are already known on two forums for asking the same question. It's a small world.

Personally I read it as the OP was concerned about the contract situation with regard to paying the cleaning fee, which was a service done for her without asking/her giving pemission. She is of course within her right to give notice and leave immediately as long as the notice period has been paid for.

As for posting in multiple places, perhaps this is just to assess opinions on the matter. A number of the early responses on this thread were IMO wrong from a legal POV* and perhaps the OP was checking this out.

* in that they stated she should pay the fee.

 

[Leandy]

Personally I would refuse to pay the cleaning charge for the stable as you had said you would come back and do it within the notice period and she did not give you the chance to do that. I don't think you can claim back/not pay the two weeks notice though. You owe that under the terms of the contract.

 

[Lois Lame]

Personally I would refuse to pay the cleaning charge for the stable as you had said you would come back and do it within the notice period and she did not give you the chance to do that. I don't think you can claim back/not pay the two weeks notice though. You owe that under the terms of the contract.

But the YO isn't letting the OP back on the premises during that two week period.